The invention relates to a system for sorting documents, and more specifically to a system which determines the orientation of a document and sorts the document according to its orientation.
Frequently, when a document has to be read, either manually or by machine, the document must first be given a proper orientation. For instance, when a check is received in a mailed envelope, the check may have one of four orientations within the envelopexe2x80x94if not properly oriented, it can be upside-down, backwards, or both. Thus, documents must typically be sorted according to orientation before they are read. First, the orientation of the each document is determined. Then each document is reoriented to a desired orientation, if necessary, such that it can be read. Orienting each document may include sorting each document according to its orientation. The process of having to orient the document before reading it can make the associated machinery more expensive to produce and maintain.
The Opex 150, a sorter distributed by Opex Corporation of Moorestown, N.J., operates using the above process. The machinery opens an envelope, removes one or more documents from the envelope, determines its orientation, routes the document according to its orientation, and then physically manipulates the document so that it is positioned in a predetermined xe2x80x9ccorrectxe2x80x9d orientation. The document can then be read.
Japanese Patent No. 1-209247 to Nakano discloses a similar automatic sorter for mail. Using a video camera, the device scans a letter to determine which orientation the letter has. Based upon this determination, the sorter first sorts the letters into four possible orientations and then physically manipulates the letters such that the letters end up in the same orientation. The letters are then read.
A disadvantage of both the Opex 150 and the Nakano apparatuses is that documents must be physically reoriented before they can be read. Such physical reorientation requires machinery which is expensive, complex and difficult to maintain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,431 to Hayduchok et al. discloses a system for orienting documents in the automated processing of bulk mail and the like. The system acquires a digital image of both sides of a document. From these images, the system determines the orientation of the document by analyzing the pixels of the image at preselected areas of the document. The document is then reoriented for further processing if necessary. As with the above systems, a disadvantage of this system is that the document must be physically reoriented before it can be processed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,431 to Stevens et al. discloses a method for automated mail extraction and remittance processing. The disclosed method involves presenting to an operator only the documents of windowed envelopes in which the checks are oriented in the same manner as the coupon, while removing the other documents from the processing path. Disadvantageously, this method only can be used with windowed envelopes.
What is desired, therefore, is system for sorting documents which determines the orientation of a document and sorts the document according to its orientation, which can sort sets of documents, each set comprising a check and a coupon, and which sorts documents without requiring that the documents be physically reoriented before the information on the documents is read.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a system for sorting documents which determines the orientation of a document and sorts the document according to its orientation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system for sorting documents having the above characteristics and which can sort sets of documents, each set comprising a check and a coupon.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a system for sorting documents having the above characteristics and which sorts documents without requiring that the documents be physically reoriented before the information on the documents is read.
These objects of the invention are achieved by provision of a method for sorting documents which automatically determines the physical orientation of each document. Each document may have one of the following four orientations: face-forward and right-side-up, face-forward and up-side-down, face-backward and right-side-up and face-backward and up-side-down. Once the physical orientation of each document is determined, each document is sorted by orientation to one of four document bins corresponding to each of the four orientations described above.
Preferably, a digital image of each document is captured before being sorted to the appropriate bin, and most preferably, the digital image of each document is automatically oriented to a preferred orientation. Preferably, each document includes visually readable markings, and the physical orientation of each document is automatically determined based upon the visually readable markings. Alternately, it is preferable that each document includes magnetically readable markings, and the physical orientation of each document is automatically determined based upon the magnetically readable markings.
The above method is particularly well suited to be used with checks and bill heads. In such a case, the physical orientation of the check is determined, and then the check is sorted to an appropriate bin based upon this orientation. The bill head accompanying the check is also sorted to an appropriate bin based upon the check""s orientation.